The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Heaters have been used in medical applications, such as dialysis equipment to heat fluids. Medical applications for heaters typically abide by certain standards to guarantee electrical safety for patients and operators of the medical equipment. Typically, medical applications follow one of three types of electrical safety standards. These are Type B, BF, and CF (F stands for floating). Type B provides basic protection against electrical shock and typically includes a direct ground. Type BF typically provides a greater degree of protection from electrical shock than Type B, because it uses a floating circuit with respect to the device ground. In other words, Type BF devices have double insulation without grounding of the device. The floating circuit removes the conduction of functional currents through the body in the event that the device is not properly grounded and the patient becomes the grounder. Type CF provides the highest degree of protection from electrical shock and is typically used in cardiac applications. Type CF also uses a floating circuit with double insulation and without grounding. The difference between BF and CF devices is the maximum allowed patient leakage current. Type CF (lowest leakage current) devices are necessary for application parts that are used near the heart.
For dialysis equipment, a heater is typically used to heat up dialysis liquids. The heater may be a flow through heater that includes a housing and a cartridge heater that is immersed within the dialysis fluid, such as the dialysate. Cartridge heaters meet Type B electrical standards, and therefore, it is essential that they are properly grounded. While the heater can be properly grounded in clinical settings, such as hospitals, proper grounded cannot be ensured for home dialysis applications.